Iran Foreign Minister: Trump’s Condolences Are ‘Repugnant’

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday rejected President Trump’s condolences for the deadly terror attacks in Tehran, calling his words “repugnant.” Trump on Wednesday said he was praying for the victims of the attacks on Iran’s parliament and the Ayatollah Khomeini’s mausoleum, but then added that “states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.” Zarif tweeted in response: “Repugnant White House statement… Iranian people reject such U.S. claims of friendship.” Gunmen and suicide bombers carried out the attacks in Tehran, killing at least 17 people and wounding more than 40 in the early Wednesday attack. ISIS claimed responsibility shortly after the assaults and threatened that more were to come. Iran’s intelligence ministry on Thursday said five of the men who launched the attack had previously fought for the Islamic State. The report described the men as “long affiliated with the Wahhabi,” a conservative form of Sunni Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia.